Dynamic simulation and energy absorption of tapered tubes under impact loading

This paper investigates the energy absorption response of straight and tapered rectangular tubes under axial impact loading using dynamic finite element techniques. The parameters in the study are the number of tapers, taper angle, wall thickness, impact velocity and impact duration. The results show that tubes with three tapered sides have the highest energy absorption capacity, followed by straight tubes and tubes with four tapered sides. Impact velocity has less effect on the absorbed energy for tapered tubes compared with straight tubes. Furthermore, the amplification of absorbed energy with increasing velocity can be controlled using the number of tapered sides. Finally, it was found that tapered tubes have a higher crush force efficiency than straight tubes. Overall, the results highlight the advantages of using tapered tubes for impact energy absorbers such as in crashworthiness applications. The research findings can be used to quantify energy absorption in the design of energy absorbers for impact applications.